And then, Jared gets into a huge fight with two of the Alphas, but only he gets ejected.
Behind me, I can hear Luke cursing and Cam shouting encouragement. Cooper and Jamie Beth keep insisting that the Kings will pull out the win.
But as the clock winds down, Denver scores on the power play.
The buzzer sounds to signal the end of the game, and my fears come true—the scoreboard reads Denver one and Montana zero.
“They lost,” I say flatly.
“They’ll get them in the playoffs,” Cam says confidently. “The Kings are the better team.”
“They are,” Luke says. “But they didn’t play like it tonight. Just one of those games. It happens.”
Jamie Beth’s innocent comment about me being a jinx won’t leave my head. Today’s anniversary is making me extra emotional, and I feel ridiculous that I’m fighting back tears as I watch Declan exit the ice.
He glances up at our section and waves, but his helmet’s still on, so I can’t read his expression.
“Let’s go wait for him outside the locker room,” Cam says.
Chapter Twenty-Five
We’re all standing in the hallway when Declan emerges from the metal doors of the Kings’ locker room. He’s alone, and I search his face for signs of frustration over the loss.
I don’t see any of that. He smiles when he sees us waiting for him and heads toward us.
He’s dressed in black pants and a dress shirt that’s open at the collar. No tie, and his long black coat is casually stylish as he strides toward us. His dark hair is damp from the shower, and his eyes fix on me as he reaches us.
The guys immediately crowd him with their thoughts on the game—and the refs.
Jamie Beth and I step back and wait.
“Boys,” Jamie says, gesturing to them with a flick of her wrist. “Sports is literally like porn to them, isn’t it? Cooper was rambling on about stat lines and all this crap I couldn’t care less about.”
I’m barely listening to her because Declan pushes past his brother and cousins and steps closer to me. Without saying a word, he wraps his arms around me in a hug.
I hang onto him like I’m the one who just lost a big game.
I guess because I feel like I did.
“I don’t want you driving home on a spare,” he says over my head to Jamie Beth. “I’ll have my mechanic pick up your van tomorrow morning and take it to the shop. For tonight, one of us can drive you home.”
I step back from Declan’s warm, hard body and turn to Jamie. “You can stay with us tonight at the cabin,” I say.
“Okay, that sounds fun,” she says.
“We’ll drive you,” Cooper says, gesturing to himself, Chase, and Luke. “Let the newlyweds ride together.”
Jamie looks pointedly at Declan’s arm still around my shoulders. “I had the same thought.”
“But we’re all having a drink at the house,” Luke says to Declan and me. “So make sure you come by.”
* * *
Declan
Losing always sucks. Every single time, I go over and over the missed opportunities in my mind.
Tonight is no exception.
